Scripture Focus: Luke 6.24-26
24 “But woe to you who are rich, 
for you have already received your comfort. 
25 Woe to you who are well fed now, 
for you will go hungry. 
Woe to you who laugh now, 
for you will mourn and weep. 
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, 
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Reflection: Blessing and Woes — A Guided Prayer
By John Tillman

Luke’s Beatitudes strike a sharper tone than Matthew’s because Luke pairs them with a mirrored set of woes. Where Matthew mentions that we are like the prophets of old when we are treated poorly, Luke adds the woeful warning that when we are treated well, we are like the false prophets of old.

Pray Luke’s Beatitudes through the rest of this week. Hear God speaking to you in both parts of the prayer.

A Prayer of Blessings and Woes
Lord help us press onward through the blessing of being poor, of being hungry, of weeping, of being hated, excluded, insulted, and rejected. There is blessing in the pain of the journey and surpassing joy on the other side.

Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

May we take heed of the woes we are subject to. May we not deny that we are rich, that we are comfortable, that we are well-fed, that we laugh, and are spoken well of. There is comfort now in acclaim and acceptance, but there is woe and destruction if we turn away from the path of Christ.

But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
    for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
“Because the needy are oppressed, and the poor cry out in misery, I will rise up,” says the Lord, “And give them the help they long for.” — Psalm 12.5

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 24 (Listen 2:48)
Luke 6 (Listen 6:46)

Read more about Seeing God in the Wilderness
Christ extends his hand, inviting us to a joy-filled city, in which the God of creation waits to dine with us.

Read more about Woken by Woe
Amos, Jesus, and other prophets employ the ominous tone of, “woe” to get the attention of their audiences.

Scripture Focus: Luke 3.10-14
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” 

Reflection: A Rebellion of Repentance
By John Tillman

John the Baptizer was considered a prophet by the people, even though he did no “signs.” The only signs anyone ever got from John were the tongue-lashing of his teaching, his testimony about Jesus, and his sacramental baptism of repentance.

John was so outside the norms of his society that enemies said he “had a demon.” (Matthew 11.18) He rejected the cushy religious establishment and embraced radical asceticism, rejecting the typical comforts people associated with being blessed. He even rejected the comfortable teaching that, as children of Abraham, the Jews could smugly rely on God’s continued blessing.

If John’s person and message were so discomforting, how was he so popular? Why did the sinful, like Herod, like to listen to him? Of course, he had enemies, but even after his death, the religious leaders didn’t dare to slight him. (Mark 11.31-33)

John’s teaching had barbs of uncomfortable truth but also had hope. John acknowledged that the world was full of snakes but the snake-crusher was coming. (Genesis 3.15) The orchard was stricken with blight, but the axe was about to swing and the fruitless would be cut down.

People wanted to be on the side of the snake-crusher, not the snakes. They wanted the axe-swinger to notice their fruit and spare them. “What should we do?” they asked.

We might expect this crazed, desert preacher to recommend they quit their jobs, flee the city, and live in the desert eating bugs and honey. We expect him to tell the tax collectors, “Your job supports a corrupt empire’s financial system! Quit!” We expect the soldiers to hear, “Stop enforcing the evil laws of the empire!” We expect the downtrodden crowd to hear, “Rebel against the government! Join the uprising!” Instead, all John’s commands are financial in nature and they all involve staying IN the world.

“Don’t cheat. Keep working, even as part of the empire, but with integrity. Don’t steal. Keep bringing order to chaos through the law, but without abuse of power. Be foolishly generous. Be near the impoverished and help them.”

The repentance John describes is a rebellion more radical than violent insurrection. Rebellion out of hate only destroys. John’s rebellion of repentance is motivated by love that longs to restore what is right. The snake-crushing, axe-wielding one is coming. Allies of the snake-crusher will show fruitful repentance that brings justice, fairness, and abundance to the needy.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm
Turn from evil, and do good; and dwell in the land forever.
For the Lord loves justice; he does not forsake his faithful ones.
They shall be kept safe forever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.
The righteous shall possess the land and dwell in it forever.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and their tongue speaks what is right.
The law of their God is in their heart, and their footsteps shall not falter. — Psalm 37.28-33

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 21 (Listen 4:44)
Luke 3 (Listen 5:24)

This Weekend’s Reading
Exodus 22 (Listen 4:44) Luke 4 (Listen 5:27)
Exodus 23 (Listen 4:44) Luke 5 (Listen 5:04)

Read more about Become More by Becoming Less
Our culture is radically expansionist…we are pressured to justify our existence. “You aren’t enough the way you are now. Become more.”

Read more about Supporting Our Work
Everything we do is supported by our generous donors. We could not continue without them. Consider joining them.

Scripture Focus: Luke 1.18, 34, 37
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
“…no word from God will ever fail.”

Reflection: In the Face of the Impossible
By John Tillman

Luke plunges into visionary tales of the impossible and people who, to one degree or another, expressed doubts, reservations, and fears, and felt themselves unqualified for the task.
Madeleine L’Engle, in her book, Walking on Water marvels at how often God gave glorious visions and impossible tasks to those who were ill equipped.

“We are all asked to do more than we can do. Every hero and heroine of the Bible does more than he would have thought it possible to do, from Gideon, to Esther, to Mary. Jacob, one of my favorite characters, certainly wasn’t qualified. He was a liar and a cheat; and yet he was given the extraordinary vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending a ladder which reached from earth to heaven.

In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, Nathanael is given a glimpse of what Jacob saw, or a promise of it, and he wasn’t qualified, either. He was narrow-minded and unimaginative, and when Philip told him that Jesus of Nazareth was the one they sought, his rather cynical response was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And yet it was to Nathanael that Jesus promised the vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending upon the son of man.”

God chooses to do the impossible with the unqualified, to frustrate the wise with the foolish, and to overthrow the strong with the weak. He subverts the systems we rely on and reminds us that our competence is an illusion and his grace shown through us comprises all that is good in the world.

We face the impossible, like Zechariah, when the world sees us as cursed and broken.
We face the impossible, like Mary, when the world strives to keep us powerless and vulnerable.
In the face of the impossible we are forced to keep our faith where it always should have been—on God. We are not qualified, but, L’Engle concludes, God will be glorified.

“In a very real sense, not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there’s no danger that we will confuse God’s work with our own, or God’s glory with our own.“

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your Name give glory; because of your love and because of your faithfulness. — Psalm 115.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Reading
Exodus 18 (Listen 3:54)
Luke 1.1-38 (Listen 9:26)

Read more about Angelic Visions Require Childlike Faith
Madeleine L’Engle was often perplexed at the tendency of scholarly Christians to hold at arm’s length the angels and miracles of the Bible.

Read The Bible With Us
Our Bible reading plan is immersive with a sustainable, two-year pace. Walk with us through God’s Word and reflect on the beauty revealed by a slower pace.

https://mailchi.mp/theparkforum/m-f-daily-email-devotional